The Legend of Zelda Trouble from Tellius
by THE BONDSWORD
Summary: Post Twilight Princess Link returns to Hyrule only to discover that the princess is in danger. Can Link save her from a new threat and is the new threat as bad as he seems? Slight LinkxZelda LinkxIlia oneshot. I don't own Link, Zelda, or any countries
1. Prologue

Prologue: The Hero Returns

Zelda stood in the center of the garden and stared up at the statue of the triforce in the center. It towered above all the people that were wandering through the gate. Zelda let the scent of lilacs, and roses float and fly about the castle as the gardener wandered lazily about watering them. She watched soldiers bringing in supplies of grain, corn, and a few other essential supplies. The people of Hyrule had lost faith in their queen and she acknowledged that so she would have to work doubly as hard in an attempt to regain their trust.

Her thoughts however turned suddenly to Link. Without his support she would have trouble keeping order, and law. She sighed from deep in her diaphragm. The sigh apparently was heard by her nearby aide who quickly ran over with a glass of translucent liquid.

"Water, your majesty?" Marilyn, Zelda's attendant asked holding up a glass filled with ice and water. But Zelda shook her head with closed eyes. The attendant sighed, bowed, and backed away to her original post behind Zelda. The garden was growing well and Zelda knew that most of the people in her kingdom were probably going to be happy with the peace returning.

But once again her thoughts changed subject to Link. He hadn't been around Hyrule Castle Town since he defeated Ganondorf. There were unconfirmed rumors, and theories that placed him in Tellius, then in Radiata, and yet another placed him in the kingdom of Norad . However all of these were nothing more than speculation, and rumors, probably nothing Zelda needed to concern herself with. Yet the people were beginning to talk about unknown and unidentifiable soldiers roaming the plans. _This_ worried her. She would have to begin sending soldiers out to combat this threat.

Suddenly a stranger in a robe walked into the courtyard and approached Zelda. The guards stood in between Zelda and this robed man. "You cannot see the queen," one of the guards said. The sinister villain held up his hand and the guards were blown away by an invisible force. The man approached Zelda with a malicious intent.

"Good-bye your majesty!" the man cried his hands glowing. Zelda backed up trying to avoid the darkness. Suddenly the man in robe's hands stopped glowing and he dropped to the ground with an arrow in his back. Some of the guards inspected the arrow as others helped the two slammed against the wall.

Zelda looked up at the wall that had been behind the man. A man around eighteen with a green hat in a green tunic was repelling down the wall itself. He landed far on the other side of the garden by the wall.

She ran up to him. "Link!" she cried. He looked around for a moment and seeing Zelda he smiled but didn't move. She kept running towards him smiling and laughing. It was Link! He was really back! This wasn't a dream!

She caught him and held him in a crushing embrace. "Oof!" Link yelled as she grabbed him. "Link, Link, Link! I'm so glad to see you're back! It's been…what, two or three years?"

Link took her arms and got out of the hug. "No. It's been about six months. Were you really that bored without me here?" he asked. Regaining her composure she nodded. "Yes. It has been rather petulant at times having to deal with the common folk all day. But still… I'm glad to see that you're back. Will you be staying long?"

Link shook his head. "Nay. I regret to say that I won't be staying long. I wish to simply spend one night here and then head back home."

"Very well. Marilyn!" Zelda called for her attendant. A slightly short and rather plump woman came running up. "Yes your highness? What can I do for you?"

"Please prepare a room for our hero… He has traveled far and needs to rest one night before setting off for home."

Marilyn smiled, bowed and ran off to relay Zelda's orders to the servants. In almost no time the palace and the whole town for that matter was abuzz with news of the returning hero. Zelda didn't care for any of the gossip the townspeople might have. All that mattered to her was that the man she loved had returned.


	2. Chapter 1

**Ch. 1 The feast and a Thief**

The entire town of Hyrule was in a feast and celebratory status. A young man stood stalwartly upon the bridge leading to a gate. This would almost be too easy. The hero was supposedly gone, and the guards would more than likely be partying hard, or would at least be drunk.

The man was David a nineteen year old thief from Tellius. He had been hired out to kill Zelda by one of the nobles from Begnion, a really shifty and creepy looking skeleton of a man. But it was work.

The job, as he remembered it, was to be carried out in complete stealth. If anyone saw him the mission was over, and if he was caught... He wasn't going to think about that. He'd never been caught before and he didn't think that it was going to happen to him now.

David made a quick check of his equipment. Throwing knives? He looked around his belt and saw all forty of the knives. That was a check. Mythril knife? He reached down to right side and saw the blue hilt of the curved knife. That was also a check. He felt on his back; even the grappling hook was there waiting for him to pull it off.

David stared at the towering wall that surrounded Hyrule Castle town. This obstacle wouldn't take that long to get over. The only thing that he was worried about would be guards that were actually smart enough not to get drunk, especially if any of them were standing guard at the main gate... But he soon shrugged off his ominous fear. Suddenly he thought of the old man telling him the job that rainy day.

A creepy skeleton looking man had approached him and had stopped him in the middle of the Crimean capital. "Excuse me young man," the noble had said. "I need you to get something from the Princess Zelda... A golden earring in the shape of a triforce symbol, you know the three triangles forming one big triangle..." David had nodded, accepted the job and gone to his house where he talked with his sister Joanna... Ah Joanna... During the Mad King's war the two had lost their mother and father. David had fled to the nearby kingdom of Gallia while Joanna had been taken to Daein.

David shook his head free of the memory for now. He was on the clock now and he had to remain calm cool and focused. His training had been extensive, excruciating and at times inhumane but he had endured it. The rain had fallen about half the days that he'd been in that grueling camp and David had leapt over spiky obstacles held himself over the ground. It was about a five hundred foot drop to the ground and he'd had to shimmy himself over to a small ledge and then... He remembered falling...falling...falling...and barely catching himself on a second rope that had been

below.

David shuddered quietly thinking of how life would be different if he'd not been around. But after a few seconds of thought he put it out of his head; the possibilities were just too numerous and horrifying to think of. Besides he had to focus on the task now at hand. He had to get through the castle town, make his way to the castle, make his way up to the top tower where she was reportedly having dinner and steal her left earring.

He thought for a moment. Thought the great hero of time was supposedly not there at the moment he could return at any time... David rationalized that he had to be careful and act fast or else he would be in trouble.

David walked up to the main wall. There was definitely a party going on in there, he could hear the music from where he stood. There was a flute, a guitar...and he thought that he could make out...yes, there was even a tambourine! This was one big party that they were having. Excellent. This would allow him to get in and out before they even knew that he was there.

He grinned to himself as he removed the grappling hook from his back, twirled it around and around a few times, and let it fly. The hook sailed over the wall, apparently caught onto something (David did feel a snag after all), and got stuck. David gave it a few good solid tugs and began to repel the wall.

The moment David got up to the top he pulled the rope back up attached the hook to a hole on the other side. As he looked around for a house to place to repel to so that he could get down he saw a guard house. This was an opportune moment...if he could take out the torches.

David leapt down and landed like a cat on a small metal pole that fortuitously jutting out above the first torch. He prided himself on his laguz-like reflexes, and just like one of their own he lowered himself to the torch, took in a big breath and blew out the light that hung above the guard's head. Then he took out one of the throwing knives and chucked it at the second light. The knife flew straight and true and cut the wick of the other torch. David watched as the flame danced down consuming the wick to its slow death.

David smirked as he swung his body back up to the pole leapt onto the guard station, then leapt onto the street. The guard, noticing that the torches had gone out, went inside to fetch a second torch to relight the two. When he had David was standing on the ground.

"Young man, what are you doing here?" David suddenly felt a lump form in his throat. An inability to answer would jeopardize his mission by getting the guards on him. The guard however smiled. "You should be at the party!" The man pointed his finger up toward the castle where there were loud sounds and plenty of lights. David smiled thanked the man and began to make his first few steps toward the castle.

The festival at the castle's courtyard was boisterous, and lively with people in eccentric costumes, and fine jewelry dancing around. David smiled at the celebration that was surrounding him; he'd always like this kind of thing. The roaring fire had a giant boar roasting over it, there were people on giant stilts, and of course, the piece de resistance, the band playing in the background.

David walked into the castle's main entrance and stared at the grandeur of the castle's interior. Giant picture windows depicted a man and woman holding the triforce, and a demon trying to steal it. Then there were the pillars that seemed to be made out of an uncommon stone that seemed to wrap around itself like a snake around a piece of wood. Two guards in shimmering armor quickly approached him.

"We know what you're here for..." David shivered slightly but didn't dare show it. "You are here to see Zelda!" David nodded slowly and began to explain that he was a refugee from Begnion on the other side of the ocean. He'd come to ask Zelda if he could have a place to stay.

The guards nodded and David could see that from within their helmets they were smiling. "We understand completely. All you need to do is follow these stairs, go to the right, keep going straight, take a left, go up the balcony, go through the main hallway, and finally go up more stairs, and some more stairs... Did ya get all that?" the guard asked. David shook his head yes even though he'd only really got about half of all of that.

He began to wander the halls, jump over obstacles still in reparation, and leapt into a giant pit before finally he sprang out of the main entrance. So giving up on finding the princess the old fashioned way David began to leap from balcony to balcony until he finally arrived at the top of the tower. There was the princess at a table eating dinner with some young man.

David crept around to the window that was behind the person Zelda was dining with and silently pulled out a throwing knife. Breathing little, he aimed and threw.

The weapon flew straight and true but suddenly the young man rose and put the shield on his back into the knife's path. There was a clank as the knife bounced off and the young man pulled out his sword. David could suddenly see who the young man was, the Hero of Hyrule!

David leapt into the air and flipped behind the princess. He pulled his dagger out and pressed it against the princess's neck. Link, the hero of Hyrule, turned around in surprise.

David leaned in and whispered in Zelda's ear. "Be calm and still princess. I'm not here for your life." David reached up to the princess's left ear and took her earring off. "I just came for this..."

David released her and pushed her toward Link as the hero ran around the table.

"You can have your princess," David said leaping onto the other window. "I just came for this trinket." He held up the earring and laughing slightly leapt out of the window onto a small terrace below and kept leaping from balcony, to terrace, to balcony until finally he had escaped the castle.

He ran from the castle through the town. No one seemed to be following him as he left so he assumed that he could relax.

David took a moment to stare at the earring he'd stolen. It didn't shine like it had in the light but it was still glimmering slightly as if it was being powered by magic. Why was this small and seemingly insignificant item so important? What did this have to do with anything? It was just an earring after all...

David shook his head free of questions. It wasn't his place. He was simply the means of which it was ascertained... But did that mean that he was merely the catalyst of someone's plan? It didn't matter to him. The only thing his mind was occupied with was making sure that he was paid handsomely for his trouble. After all he had someone to protect.


	3. Chapter 2

Ch. 2: The Opera Job

It was only a few days later that David returned to Begnion from Hyrule. David had taken a boat stashed near a beach past the woods of Ordona and had sailed back to Tellius. Once back he took a horse back from Crimea , and then had to walk back. He laughed to himself as he threw the small earring into the air and caught it again and again. The sun was bright, the sky was blue and the entire air smelled of fresh flowers. But as he realized how perfect this was he stopped. This was going entirely too easy. There was a trap somewhere near him…

Suddenly a group of brigands approached ready to attack. David pulled out his knife. He wasn't sure what good it would do against their axes but he was determined not to die… He had to make it back to Joanna, his little sister.

"Say son, where are ya goin'?" one of the burly axe-wielding men asked. "And more importantly what is that jewel ya got there?"

David recoiled slightly pulling his knife closer to shield himself. "Don't think you can fool me bandit. I know who you are!"

The man gazed at David with a sad face. "Oh come now sonny it won't hurt you to come talk to some old men will it?" David watched as the man reached for his axe, and smiled.

"You idiot… Do you really think you'll be able to hit me? I'll just dodge around till all of you get tired and then I'll make my escape with this pretty little trinket…"

One of the men roared and charged. The bandit brought his axe down onto David, who ducked down and thrust his knife up and into the bandit. The villain was quickly silent.

"Oy! Roland you okay?" a second one asked. The bandit turned around to start walking back and then fell to the ground splattering blood everywhere. The others stared from the dead bandit's shocked expression and then to David.

"You…You…You killed me brother!!" another yelled preparing to charge. David still held the mythril knife, leapt behind the next bandit and slit the man's throat. It was all too easy… They weren't wolves like he'd thought… Now they were all moths to a flame.

David pulled one of the throwing daggers off of his belt and tossed it at another of the brigands. This dagger struck the man between the eyes. That man as well dropped dead in a matter of seconds.

Now there was only one bandit left…and he was scared out of his wits… David smirked. Around him and this last bandit lay the bodies and blood of four others…

"You must be the leader of this rabble… Hehehe…this will be too easy…"

The man with the axe stepped back, cowering. "Y-You…I…not scared!!" Then he charged. 'Fool…' David thought. He ran at the axe wielding man, ducked under the random chop, kicked the man in the stomach and plunged his knife deep into the last bandit's chest. The red ooze slowly leaked out. He pulled the knife out and waited for the bandit to fall to the ground.

When finally the last cadaver had dropped, the ground was littered with a few bodies and the once emerald green grass had turned a ruby red. 'You fools… Why did you challenge me?' David thought. 'You probably had most of your lives ahead of you…' Then he sighed.

"Such a waste of life…" he said and walked on. David broke into a run. That had wasted too much time. Now he had to hurry to arrive on time and reach his deadline.

"Damn bandits… I'm gonna need to run in order to get there on time."

David ran as fast as he could thinking of nothing but trying to get there and deliver this stupid thing. It had already caused him enough trouble, attracting the bandits… He'd hated that waste of time, and so now he just wanted to get rid of this thing. David entered a forest, leapt over a fallen log, jumped up to a tree branch, swung on them for a few minutes and finally let go. He landed on his feet at the end of the tree line and took off running in the direction of Begnion's capital. He was still thankful that the Laguz had accepted him. His strength, flexibility and dexterity had made him one of the more popular Beorc and he'd been easily accepted by the Laguz.

He thought again to his days back in the kingdom of Gallia . King Caineghis had accepted the task of providing David with both a home and an education. David had, at the time been thankful of this. With thousands of refugees crossing the border and the Daein troops at the time threatening to invade Gallia Caineghis had probably had more important things to do than deal with a small child refugee from Crimea. But he'd been thankful nonetheless and had accepted a position assisting the great hero Ike as he had made an advance toward the capital of Daein. Though David had never seen the evil Mad King Ashnard, he'd heard stories, and they didn't make him feel any better.

When he'd returned home, as a hero from the war, he'd found his sister and started taking on jobs around the country including fighting in the second war as a spy and warrior for Queen Elincia and as a normal soldier. David was one of the only rogues that could wield swords almost as well as a myrmidon. But normally he would choose a knife over the blade. The knife was faster, and more subtle, besides all of that was the fact that he just preferred it more.

Finally the capital city of Begnion came into view. David sighed with relief. This had been one hell of a trip for him and it was getting a little annoying now. But he was glad that soon this job would be over and he could return to his little sister who was more than likely worried sick about him. She always was when he was out on a job so he wouldn't be surprised if when he got home that she would run right into him and would be balling…just like she always did.

The capital was still under reparation and thus was slightly destroyed. But David was still able to navigate his way around the palace area to find the senate. His client was there walking in so he took off running.

"Wait! Senator Krile! Senator Krile!" The skeletal-like man stopped in his tracks. David held out the small triforce-shaped earring and handed it to Krile.

Krile stared at it for a few moments more than likely appraising it. "Yes…" the man said after a few seconds, "This is most definitely the genuine article. You have done well…" David nodded and stood there waiting for his payment.

"Unfortunately," Krile began, "I've an appointment that I've got to keep… I'm sure you understand. You see Empress Sanaki is going to a play in Crimea tonight, and I have been invited by her imperial majesty to go."

"Senator Krile, are you ready to go?" came a feminine voice from behind them. David turned around and out of Krile's way as the empress herself came walking up. A girl about the age of fourteen came walking up, accompanied by Zelgius, the greatest general in all of Begnion.

"Young man…No wait you're name is David isn't it?" Zelgius asked. David nodded, and continued to stare at the man in his red armor. The young thief continued to stare at the man in the red armor and the general did the same. It was as if something was holding them in another plane and wouldn't take them out.

Suddenly however Empress Sanaki barked a command at Zelgius. "General Zelgius, come we have a play to go to."

However Zelgius still stood there and quite quickly turned to Sanaki.

"Hold you highness!" he said. "I simply a few gifts to give to this young man." Zelgius procured from behind him a silver sword, and a book of secrets.

"What...is this book?" David asked.

"This book will increase your skill with one of the variety of weapons." "I suggest that you use it for the sword... You may find you shall have need of fencing skills quite soon."

Zelgius leaned in close to whisper into David's ear. "You don't know what you've gotten yourself into here kid. Be careful of Senator Krile. He isn't the most trustworthy of Begnion's nobles and I have a strange feeling you are being led on. You are the catalyst of a plot he's designed. I'm just telling you for the sake of the world be careful."

With this said Zelgius turned back and marched to his normal post behind Sanaki. Krile walked over and stood beside the empress as well, and David made to leave. However as he turned back to the way that would lead him home Sanaki stopped him.

"Wait good sir. Are you from Crimea?" she asked. David turned around and nodded his head. Of course he was from Crimea. What difference did that make?

"Would...you like a ride home?" The question stunned both David and Krile, but not Zelgius who stood behind the empress calm as could be. As David stared up at the man behind the Apostle Empress he thought he detected a faint smile flare up from the man's mouth...but perhaps it was just imagination.

David slowly nodded his head. "Yes...I would. Thank you."

Sanaki turned to Zelgius and said, "Go tell the driver that we shall have one extra going with us to Crimea."

Zelgius bowed and walked off.

"Meanwhile," Sanaki said. "You shall accompany me until Zelgius returns."

David stared at her confused. She stared back at him with a pouting face just like his sister's. Though David tried his hardest to resist just seeing that same thing his sister always did, practically melted him.

Sighing David gave in and said, "Fine…" Sanaki jumped up into the air for a moment and clapped her hands.

"Thank you," she said calming down. David took Zelgius's place behind Sanaki and walked around for a while waiting for Zelgius to return and hoping that the man did it quickly.

It was only about ten minutes later that the general in blood red armor came clanking back toward them. He stopped a few feet in front of the David and Sanaki and bowed.

"Your Highness!" he said. "Your imperial carriage is ready. We can leave whenever you are adequately prepared."

Sanaki bowed as well simply to thank him, and then said he could leave. Zelgius also bowed, turned away, and walked back to the stable.

"Come," Sanaki said. "We shall take you home." Sanaki began to walk toward the stable. David stared after her for a moment.

"Quite a girl wouldn't you say?" Senator Krile asked. David nodded still gazing at Sanaki walk away. "Now onto business. I need you to go back to Hyrule and get Zelda's other earring and the coronet she wears they are quintessential for the project."

David, suddenly remembering what Zelgius had said, glared at Senator Krile. "Why do you want these objects for?"

Krile stared at David slightly hurt. "What? That is not your place. Do you not remember your own first rule?"

David cast his gaze at the ground. 'Damn. He's right. My first rule is that I don't question the motivation of the client… But this time I feel I have every right.'

"Why do you want them? If you tell me why then I'll just go and get them. For once I demand that you acquiesce with my command."

Krile sighed. "We were planning to clean her jewels for her and give them back…"

Though David didn't trust Krile all the same he still knew that the man had taken a contract again. "I'm just getting the coronet and earring, right?" David asked.

Krile nodded his head. "Yes you have my word. Just get the earring and coronet and then you shall be free of us." David nodded his head smiling. He would be more than happy to rid himself of the terror that was in front of him. Though something was wrong he didn't voice his concerns he simply got into the carriage that was waiting and took a long ride home.


End file.
